Cage Deathmatch (Part 2)

Strictly speaking, the "Mysterious" class is the most talent-dependent profession. People who can awaken "psychic energy" are considered freaks and outcasts in the eyes of the world.

The [Dominator] class doesn't rely on talent. If you don't know how to shoot, how to fight, or have enough arithmetic talent, but still want to have cool special effects to show off, Li Aoz suggests that you can rely on hard work to join the Supreme Path of [Starcaller].

[Strange] You've chosen the wrong deity to whom you are incompatible. The only way to salvage this situation is to quickly delete the account and start over.

Void Orphans are a special group of psionicists. Most of them are born with overwhelmingly powerful psionic abilities that cause the death of their parents. Therefore, they are called 'Children of the Void' or 'Void Orphans'. Many of them also suffer from psychological distortion due to the lack of parental companionship, leading them down a path of crime and a tragic and lonely life.

In their past lives, there were many NPCs who were orphans of the void, and their backstories were so poignant that they brought tears to the eyes of those who heard them and saddened those who saw them.

Xue Nuo is a similar case. He was an orphan, adopted, and then read a lot of criminals' and dead people's memories. He also suffered a lot of mental and physical torment. Although his young mind did not turn evil, he could not become a normal person in the Nethermark Humanity.

At least she still has the mindset to protect the people she loves—this can be seen from her two previous acts of helping Li Aoz.

Strangely, however, he never felt Xue Nuo's help again after reaching the Second Floor.

The Esha Infected have disappeared.

Xue Nuo remained silent.

All electrical and communication devices short-circuited and collapsed.

Darkness shrouded their path, and strange signs hung in the air like a persistent gloom, making it difficult to calm their minds.

Li Aoz glanced at the task completion conditions for "Remember Them":

A. The "Remove Evil No Matter How Small" campaign has resulted in the massacre of all remaining members of the Nethermark Humanitarian Rescue Organization, and the progress has reached (108/109).

Reward: Title [Killer/Butcher/Trampler/Cataclysm]

[I have essentially completed this task; only 'Professor' remains as a member of the Nethermark Humanity.]

Unfortunately, title-based tasks don't offer rewards in stages; you have to complete them all to get them. Otherwise, he would have been more confident.

B. "Give a Person Death": Demands the complete killing of the "Nethermark Professor".

Reward: For each bio-clone destroyed, you will receive a perfect reset of mutation options (which will always refresh with mutations of rare or higher quality).

[I have annihilated two bio-clones and obtained two 'perfect resets' of the mutation options.]

Li Aoz glanced at the accumulated experience—because he was teamed up with Du Zexin, a level 40 [Mechanic], the human race's 150% experience gain was reduced to 120% due to the 80% experience penalty. Therefore, the accumulated experience for both the thriving and decaying races was only 1.27 million.

Including the Biochemical Soldier killed along the way... the total accumulated is only 1.6 million.

Unfortunately, the quest wasn't triggered. If he had another 400,000 experience points, he could have leveled the [Mutant] to level 30.

As for C.'s "Uprooted," which calls for the complete eradication of the funders and project owners of the entire Nethermark Humanity and for the public disclosure of their actions—this is not something that can be accomplished in the short term, and he did not consider that approach.

After scanning the whole thing, Li Aoz noticed a problem.

"These quests do not point to the final boss, nor do they have any hidden branches."

S-rank missions, especially Scary-rank missions with special characters, surprisingly didn't show these prompts.

He has advanced this far, and is only one step away from destroying the Nethermark Humanity.

Li Aoz stopped and stood in the center of the hall, looking around.

In the darkness, this empty ward activity area, once the people and wards are moved out, becomes a circular structure like the Roman Colosseum.

"Cage."

It's the professor... she wants to trap them here.

With all these factors combined, even with his aging body, Li Aoz finally realized what was happening. Du Zexin, being of a higher rank, reacted even faster, shouting first, "Something's wrong. I sense danger nearby."

Bang!

The ventilation ducts overhead burst one after another, pouring out hundreds of tons of red and black liquid. Under the pale light of the emergency lights, it looked like an apocalyptic flood, with tremendous force.

Chirp chirp—

[Warning!] The belated alarm sounded, but it was too late.

Li Aoz and Du Zexin jumped to a higher place, and at that moment, a magnificent and ferocious skeleton gradually emerged from the red and black flood.

"What's that—it's emerging along with the reddish-black liquid... is it animal bones?!"

Du Zexin was horrified. "45 meters long and 19 meters tall at the shoulder—are you kidding me? This is no creature that could be born under the gravity and environment of Azure Planet!"

The grotesque skeletons stood tall amidst the crimson and black waves, an undeniable pillar in the midst of the torrent. Their presence also suppressed the flow of the waves, and the four-to-five-meter-deep water blocked the entrance with debris, preventing them from easily escaping.

This is a trap, no—or rather, a calculated scheme.

The cold, reddish-black liquid seeped up the Second Floor railings in the ward. Under the emergency lights, several Biochemical Soldier, their bodies shrouded in thick, reddish-black smoke, slowly crawled out.

They spread their arms, their bodies completely deformed, growing extra brains and arms. Some opened their mouths wide, their teeth spinning rapidly like circular saws. Some even lost their human form, floating like jellyfish with canned brains on their heads. The guns and weapons in their hands were also corrupted by flesh and blood, becoming their tentacles and tails.

Malefic Calamity...

"Holy crap, what are all these?!"

Du Zexin, a mechanic, was utterly shocked. These aberrations that defied scientific understanding were less a product of science and more a curse from the gods.

These Biochemical Soldier were originally living dead whose brains were extracted and cloned, but now they have almost no "human" elements left.

Even more bizarrely, he saw a strange creature with bony armor, lungs flapping like the wings of mosquitoes, and rhinoceros horns and a snake's tail. Its brain storage container was crammed with 12 eyeballs and nerve networks as thick as pencils, and even sheet-like muscle tissue superimposed to generate electricity, occasionally flashing dazzling sparks in the air.

Crack!

This is no human realm!

The flesh and blood were like millstones and machine parts. Just looking at the physiological structure of these deformed beings would cause severe physical discomfort. The pungent and unpleasant stench of decay and blood was overwhelming. Combined with the visual impact of the red and black liquid of the Malefic Calamity, it made Du Zexin and Li Aoz feel numb all over.

This is a fear ingrained in the very bones of humankind.

What I saw was almost beyond the scope of scientific understanding; it was a reproduction of the ruins of hell and the Netherworld from mythology.

"Nature limits the limits of science."

A very approachable female voice echoed in the hall:

"Dear friend, welcome to my Eden."

"Li Aoz, your Aoneng is nothing but a product of genetic mutation, and it's worthless under precise calculations."

"Du Zexin, steel and machinery will eventually rust, but genes and flesh and blood will live on and move towards immortality."

Amidst the surging waves of red and black, the professor's voice grew ever more powerful, filled with a seductive and passionate appeal. "Viva la vida, amigos (Long live life, my friends!)"